The brassiere ‘sign’ – A distinctive marker in crush asphyxia

Traumatic asphyxial deaths in car crush: Report of 3 autopsy cases

“…Similar finding was noted by Bolt, cited from Robertson [14], where a band of normal skin was found across the forehead of a victim who was wearing a tightly fitting conductor's cap at the time of injury. Byard has also reported similar finding in three women who died of crush asphyxia and were wearing close-fitting brassiere [15].…”

The pathological features and circumstances of death of lethal crush/traumatic asphyxia in adults—A 25-year study

“…Restraint, with several individuals attempting to overcome an individual by lying or sitting on the victim's body, may also cause lethal crush asphyxia [11]. In cases of homicide this is known as 'burking' after Burke and Hare, the notorious body snatchers of Victorian Edinburgh who dispatched their victims in this manner while covering their mouths and noses [12].…”

“…described external and visceral petechiae as signs of death from 'suffocation'. The term 'Tardieu spots' should refer only to subpleural petechiae [2,12]. Perthes described the characteristic features around the turn of the century and is responsible for the German term for crush asphyxia-''Perthes'sche Druckstauung'' (Perthes' pressure congestion) [13][14][15].…”

“…There may be bleeding from the nose [8]. A characteristic pattern of absent petechiae beneath clothing in some cases of crush asphyxia has been related to tight fitting brassieres compressing underlying vasculature [12].…”

Farming deaths – an ongoing problem

“…Hay baling is a particularly agricultural activity that may result in death from a variety of mechanisms [17,18]. Other causes of asphyxiation include exposure to methane in storage sheds or wheat silos, or to carbon monoxide from using faulty equipment in confined spaces [3].…”